Is a professional website worth the investment when beginning gigs?

[Deep Indigo]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting started in stage and event photography, and am wondering whether I could get some advice. To briefly explain my situation, I'm a university student who is aiming to do event and stage photography as a side job. I'm at a point where I'm starting to get a few paid gigs here and there, while mostly shooting for free to bolster my portfolio.

(Not sure if relevant, but I already have most of the other things necessary to begin learning to do events professionally; including backup bodies and lenses.)

At this point, would it be wise for me to invest in a professional website / custom email address? Right now, I'm using a free website builder plan to temporarily host a portfolio but I don't think that's a smart move long-term. On the other hand, I'm still unsure that the benefit a proper website would give me is worth the cost.

What does everyone think? Should I wait until I get paid gigs much more regularly, or would it be worth it to make a website now?

(Also, if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to notify me / move the thread to the correct one.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[RDKirk]

Facebook and Instagram. They have some disadvantages for professionals farther down the line, but at your stage, they'll work out for you.

Just don't get sucked into any paid advertising. You just want to have a place for a display of your work that you can point people to.

 

[henrya41]

The short answer is YES. If you want to be taken seriously you need at least a standalone website. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it should be www.yourname.com or something similar. Domains are cheap. It's a cost of doing business.

The longer answer is, it depends on what your marketing strategy is, and who your clients are. If you're marketing to families and individuals Facebook might be your main gateway to reaching those people. If you're planning on working for businesses or organizations a website is the way to go. If an event planner is trying to get their client or boss to hire you, they'll want to have more than a Facebook page to show them.

One note on shooting for free... don't expect those jobs to ever turn into paid jobs. There can be a place for unpaid work if you're building your portfolio, but the goal should always be building your portfolio. Those jobs should be so that you can learn and build your book, not so that the client gets a free photographer. For me, that usually means that I'm the one reaching out to offer my services because I either want to donate them to the organization or think the resulting photos will benefit my portfolio. If someone is reaching out to me, they pay.

In conclusion, I don't think I've had a single client ever who didn't view my website before they hired me. If you're thinking you'll do this for a while, why wouldn't you get a website now, and update it as you go?

--

www.dennyhenry.com

 

[henrya41]

Ha, I saw your post after I wrote mine. We pretty much say the opposite thing. I guess it depends on what the OPs long term goals are. The financial cost for setting up a website can be fairly small, but the time is significant.

 

[Deep Indigo]

Ha, I saw your post after I wrote mine. We pretty much say the opposite thing. I guess it depends on what the OPs long term goals are. The financial cost for setting up a website can be fairly small, but the time is significant.

On the contrary; I suppose the cost is minimal if one already has steady income from a photography business, but at a point where I'm mostly doing free gigs to use on my portfolio and occasional, low-paid shoots, I'm unsure whether it's worth it. 100+ a year does sound a bit difficult, and that rises if I'm getting a custom email address to go along with it. (Or maybe I'm just looking at the wrong providers?)

 

[BAK]

I do not know what this means >> a professional website / custom email address? <<

If you mean hiring a human to do the architecture of a site (what links to what) and a human to do the graphic design (what is blue and what type face and do photos have keyline) and someone to write the words,... well, that is a professional web site.

We do this, mostly for lawyers, as part of consulting contracts.

This makes no sense for you.

If >> a professional website / custom email address? << means Squarespace or Wix or Go Daddy, where there are lots of templates and prechosen color palettes and advice on Search Engine optimization, the answer is yes, if you really want to shoot pictures for money next week or next month or next summer.

Prospective clients want to see your work before they talk to you.

And they want to show your work to others in the family or on the every organizing committee.

We've created half a dozen Wix sites for clients, and our own main company site is Wix (TheLegalATeam.com)

BAK

 

[Deep Indigo]

I do not know what this means >> a professional website / custom email address?

Oh, sorry if I was a bit unclear. Yes, I mean a website using squarespace etc with a custom domain, and an email address that isn't a gmail.com or similar.

If >> a professional website / custom email address? << means Squarespace or Wix or Go Daddy, where there are lots of templates and prechosen color palettes and advice on Search Engine optimization, the answer is yes, if you really want to shoot pictures for money next week or next month or next summer.

Prospective clients want to see your work before they talk to you.

And they want to show your work to others in the family or on the every organizing committee.

We've created half a dozen Wix sites for clients, and our own main company site is Wix (TheLegalATeam.com)

BAK

 

[DenWil]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting started in stage and event photography, and am wondering whether I could get some advice. To briefly explain my situation, I'm a university student who is aiming to do event and stage photography as a side job. I'm at a point where I'm starting to get a few paid gigs here and there, while mostly shooting for free to bolster my portfolio.

(Not sure if relevant, but I already have most of the other things necessary to begin learning to do events professionally; including backup bodies and lenses.)

At this point, would it be wise for me to invest in a professional website / custom email address? Right now, I'm using a free website builder plan to temporarily host a portfolio but I don't think that's a smart move long-term. On the other hand, I'm still unsure that the benefit a proper website would give me is worth the cost.

What does everyone think? Should I wait until I get paid gigs much more regularly, or would it be worth it to make a website now?

(Also, if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to notify me / move the thread to the correct one.)

Thanks in advance!

Yes for the expense of a domain and some hosting it has been worth the investment since my first Mac. I use a website specifically as a portfolio. Nothing for sale, and no financials. Just work and some technical info.

Prospective clients can see exactly the who, what and where before contacting me further.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

Another "yes"

You at least need your own URL (preferably a .com) and email. From there it's pretty easy to build a decent website on a template.

Be sure you can get a URL that works for you before you choose your business name.

Free unsolicited advice: Be sure your name and location (or working territory) are right up front and easy to find on all your sites. Be sure your site loads quickly -- viewers should see the lead photo within 5 seconds. Be sure your internal links are clear and easy to find, no tricky stuff.

If you're going for entertainment work you need to be on Instagram and possibly Facebook. Probably also Twitter. Set up a business page and keep it active -- put up new photos at least a couple of times a week. Keep it business oriented. No pics of your lunch or your cat -- or at least not too many.

Good luck

Gato

 

[BAK]

Yes, you need that

Look for Fro knows photo (Jared Polin) and I think you'll find a discount. Or Tony and Chelsea Northrup.

BAK

 

[Switcheroo]

There are many photography-related options. I've been using Smugmug for almost 2 years with a domain from Godaddy. Smugmug is like 79$ a year with my current plan and the domain is 20$ I think. I didn't bother with the e-mail domain (yet).

I've heard good things about Zenfolio also, depends really of what you want (portfolio, blog, order/print management, etc.).

I agree, that a good website is essential for most if not all types of photography. Whatever marketing you do (social media, business cards, ads, word-of-mouth, etc.), people will always check out your page first. I get regular compliments and I think that's the first step to kickstart your business.

 

[henrya41]

Agreed. The added benefit of a service like SmugMug, Zenfolio, or Photoshelter (my personal favorite) is that they provide a way to deliver images to clients.

 

[AlbertTheLazy]

On the custom domain front, mine costs me the equivalent of about 2 US$ a month for email hosting. Web hosting is about the same, at least for the first year. This is with what claims to be the biggest provider in Europe and I've been happily using them for longer than I can remember, including a move from France to Britain.

My domain name is based on my own name (think jbloggs.com) but just as long as nobody else already owns it you can pick pretty much what you like.

As far as designing and maintaining a web site is concerned, you need to decide how much effort you want to put in or how much you are prepared to pay to have the work done. At your present stage I'd say a simple but stylish site with a portfolio of some of your best work should be possible without too much hassle.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting started in stage and event photography, and am wondering whether I could get some advice. To briefly explain my situation, I'm a university student who is aiming to do event and stage photography as a side job. I'm at a point where I'm starting to get a few paid gigs here and there, while mostly shooting for free to bolster my portfolio.

(Not sure if relevant, but I already have most of the other things necessary to begin learning to do events professionally; including backup bodies and lenses.)

At this point, would it be wise for me to invest in a professional website / custom email address? Right now, I'm using a free website builder plan to temporarily host a portfolio but I don't think that's a smart move long-term. On the other hand, I'm still unsure that the benefit a proper website would give me is worth the cost.

What does everyone think? Should I wait until I get paid gigs much more regularly, or would it be worth it to make a website now?

(Also, if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to notify me / move the thread to the correct one.)

Thanks in advance!

For web hosting, I've had a Pro plan with Zenfolio for about 8-10 years. Note that Zenfolio offers a Starter plan for $5/month. You can always upgrade it later if you want more features. Zenfolio is a great platform for delivering event photos and accepting orders for downloads & prints.

For email, I created an Apple ID and iCloud account for my business. This corresponds to a user account on my Mac, and I share this account with my business partner, so we both have access to our Dropbox and Box accounts as well as iCloud data (calendars, email, reminders, contacts). Yes, we could share much of this in other ways, but we set this up years ago before other sharing options were available, and it still works well for us. It also allows us to share Apple's Notes app now that Apple has taken away the option to sync Notes between user accounts.

I do think it's worthwhile to have a professional website, not to draw in business (it doesn't), but to serve as a portfolio and a delivery vehicle. Call me snobbish, but I don't consider someone a pro if their only online presence is social media - it just signals "beginner" to me. I'm not saying someone can't be a talented pro and not have a website, but as a branding matter, social media doesn't convey the impression that someone has a long-term commitment to the business. In any case, it doesn't matter what I think, but what your prospective clients will think.

--
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos

 

[Jacques Cornell]

Another "yes"

You at least need your own URL (preferably a .com)

There's also .photo and .photography. See my URLs below which mirror my business names (Jacques Cornell Photography and Happening Photos). My hope is that these are easier for folks to remember. Also, they're shorter and fit better on a biz card.

and email. From there it's pretty easy to build a decent website on a template.

Be sure you can get a URL that works for you before you choose your business name.

Free unsolicited advice: Be sure your name and location (or working territory) are right up front and easy to find on all your sites. Be sure your site loads quickly -- viewers should see the lead photo within 5 seconds. Be sure your internal links are clear and easy to find, no tricky stuff.

If you're going for entertainment work you need to be on Instagram and possibly Facebook. Probably also Twitter. Set up a business page and keep it active -- put up new photos at least a couple of times a week. Keep it business oriented. No pics of your lunch or your cat -- or at least not too many.

Good luck

Gato

--
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos

 

[Michael Fryd]

...Not sure if relevant, but I already have most of the other things necessary to begin learning to do events professionally; including backup bodies and lenses...

In my opinion you have not done all the things necessary to have an even photography business. It seems as if you have missed one of the most important aspects of your business plan - how you will market your business.

It's a difficult time to break into the photography business. The low cost of professional quality gear has led to an increase in the number of people who want to be professional photographers. With most people carrying a camera with them at all times (smart phones), the demand for professional photographers has decreased.

If you want to be successful, you need to a business and marketing plan.

What segment of the event photography market are you going after? How are you going to convince that market to hire you?

Are you looking to work private events or corporate events? What is it that differentiates you from your competition?

If you want to differentiate yourself based on quality, then you need to convince the client that your quality is better. Most clients do not know enough about photography to be able to tell a good photo from a mediocre photo. Their impression of your quality will be based on your marketing, more than your photos.

Your marketing plan will tell you whether or not you need a website, and what message that web site should convey. Are you the low cost guy? Are you the guy who's easy to work with? Are you the artistic guy that will give them what you think is best, despite their requests?

You don't know what gear you need until you decide on your marketing.

If you're marketing is that your images are better because you use 50 megapixel cameras, then you need 50 megapixel cameras.

If you promote your business on your lighting skills, then you need lighting gear. If you position your images as better as they are natural light, then you don't need lighting.

Perhaps you are less intrusive than other photographers? That would suggest natural lighting (and lenses with wide aperture diameters) and silent shooting.

If you are doing formal portraits and on-site printing, you likely want backdrops, event software, and dye-sub printers.

It's not a popular sentiment on this site, but the success of your photography business will depend more on your business and marketing skills than your photography skills.

 

[p0ppyman]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting started in stage and event photography, and am wondering whether I could get some advice. To briefly explain my situation, I'm a university student who is aiming to do event and stage photography as a side job. I'm at a point where I'm starting to get a few paid gigs here and there, while mostly shooting for free to bolster my portfolio.

(Not sure if relevant, but I already have most of the other things necessary to begin learning to do events professionally; including backup bodies and lenses.)

At this point, would it be wise for me to invest in a professional website / custom email address? Right now, I'm using a free website builder plan to temporarily host a portfolio but I don't think that's a smart move long-term. On the other hand, I'm still unsure that the benefit a proper website would give me is worth the cost.

What does everyone think? Should I wait until I get paid gigs much more regularly, or would it be worth it to make a website now?

(Also, if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to notify me / move the thread to the correct one.)

Thanks in advance!

Nothing wrong with avoiding the costs of a website although for me they provide many benefits.

Direct sales can be a good strategy.

Build your lookbook and share that when you meet with prospective clients. The book can be single prints which you carry in a binder with sheet protectors or a printed book but that would cost more.

In my experience there is often more than one way to do it so choose the way that feels right for you based upon your budget constraints and what your gut may be telling you.

In my experience if you are a creative like I am, gut often is a key factor in decision making. Listen to it!

The other thing I learned is there will normally always be budget constraints when starting out so be agile and learn to get the most out of what you have at that moment.

Don't let false obstacles stand in your way. Just do it!

Have fun which ever way you go!

 

[Photomonkey]

A professional website does not have to cost a lot.

There are free services that make beautiful websites for your portfolio.

If you plan on having sales of images through your website then there are budget options available.

The real key to a pro website is it HAS TO LOOK GREAT! I cannot tell you how many "pros" i see that have wretched, amateurish sites that look like an iWeb template from 1998.

If you want to be a pro, you need to look like one from the get go.

You will get hobo clients if you have a hobo site.

Here is an example of a site I found today. It is Smugmug based but is a real delight to use and view. Not a lot of blather about the gear they use or nasty music. Just clean design with beautiful photos.

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www.lancegerberstudio.com

 

[Himanshu24]

Yeah, it's a smart investment. Not only you can share your website with your client but, also you can build a blog in it to share your experience and expertise it'll help you to get discovered by the potential client who is searching online. There is plenty of portfolio website builder around but personally, I recommend Pixpa or Format, both are built for photographers and have a trial period. Just have a look maybe it'll help you to decide.

 

[lbuclk=]

Yes, you need that

Look for Fro knows photo (Jared Polin) and I think you'll find a discount. Or Tony and Chelsea Northrup.

BAK